Guilty: Aleksandr Kerzhakov misses a host of chances

'But this was our first game and we are really happy with the result.'

Advocaat reserved particular praise for Arshavin, who is currently on loan at Zenit St Petersburg, after his superb display of midfield artistry.

He said: 'He worked very hard and he played very well. He is a very important player for us for the way we play and he was very, very good. I am very positive about him.'

For Czech coach Bilek the result made for a miserable start to their campaign, and he knows his team will have to regroup quickly ahead of their meeting with Greece on Tuesday.

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